Monday, July 20, 2015

We just received two beautiful wedding albums from our album supplier in New York. One is a large 12x12 bride's album and the other an 8x10 parent album. Both set in premium white leather, one with gold page gilding and the other with silver text and page gilding.

Friday, July 10, 2015

With the advent of better and better cameras in today's smart phones, many people are now choosing to record their own business portraits. The results can be somewhat less than flattering - many posing, lighting and skin flaws are exposed by simply doing it yourself. The example below is of local business entrepreneur, Dan Diggs, who owns and operates Window Genie of Bethesda, a window cleaning service that covers both home and commercial clients in Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville and Silver Spring in Montgomery County, MD.

Dan approached me looking for commercial images for use on his website, social media pages and LinkedIn page. We spent time capturing images detailing the various aspects of his work. The first image we captured was a headshot. Up until this point Dan was using the image on the left ('Before') as his social media headshot - it was taken using a smart phone. We captured the image on the right during our photo session. With the image on the right, please note the turn of the body away from the camera, the lighting on Dan's face (which reduces shadows under the eyes and also narrows the face), the out of focus (non distracting) background and the kicker light on his left side which just lights his shoulder, neck and hair, helping separate him from the background. All these elements produce a pleasing, friendly result that will transfer well across all media, from print to digital.

iPhone image on left - professionally retouched portrait on the right.

Additional shots of Dan included the following:

If you are ever in need of window cleaning, window tinting or pressure washing services, please give Dan a call at 301-933-0433 - you will be supporting a local small business that employs Montgomery County residents. Visit his website at: bethesda.windowgenie.com